


Hopeless Prongs

by Papapaldi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus, F/M, Marauders, jily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 16:11:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19727149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Papapaldi/pseuds/Papapaldi
Summary: Lily sees a stag by the forest and, surprisingly, it doesn't run away.Just a short little thing about Lily finding a nice stag which she has no idea is actually arrogant, insufferable idiot James Potter. The other Marauders think this is pretty funny.





	Hopeless Prongs

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick little thing. I might add more don't know yet.

James likes being prongs. He likes running through the forest, darting between the trees with sharpened reflexes, without clothes to catch on brambles or clumsy feet to trip over. He likes the way his thoughts dissipate and leave behind simpler, sharper instincts, the way the world opens up with a wealth of slight sounds that prick his ears up and keep him alert, always searching, always alive with the forest. He doesn’t feel like an intruder here. He isn’t a schoolboy wondering forbidden lands, but a creature, streaking through the wild where he belongs. It takes his mind off school work and looming exams, but more importantly, it stops deeper worries – the attacks that have teachers and students alike withering with worry. Dark magic and blood ties. None of it matters when he is prongs. 

…

The light frost melts beneath her feet as she walks across the grounds. The sun is barely risen and peeking out from in-between two of the castle’s shorter towers, casting slivers of warm light over the grass that makes the frost and dew drops glisten. It’s the most beautiful time of day, according to Lily, and the quietest. There are no students milling about to kick up mud and fill the brisk air with laughter and raucous voices. There’s just her, and her breath puffing out into the spring chill, the cold stone towers looming above like a guardian. 

Lily Evans likes to come out here in the mornings to be alone, OWLS are coming faster than anyone cares to acknowledge, and all this business of disappearances in the paper… the whole school is on edge. 

She’s deep in thought when she sees movement just beyond the first cut of trees that mark the edge of the forest. The forest, as always, emits a foreboding glow. The light doesn’t reach far past the first scatter of dark trunks, and roots twist up through the undergrowth like hands reaching for robes to snag and feet to trip. She catches another glimpse of a smooth hide slipping past the trees and she begins to move closer. As she approaches, the stag stops still and turns to look at her. She stops in her tracks, expecting it to startle, but it stays frozen. It has a rich brown hide, with thicker fur around its neck, and its antlers twist into beautiful jagged geometry, frost flaking the tips and reflecting the sun. Lily can’t help but smile – it’s the most majestic thing she’s ever seen – and she’s seen unicorns. She inches closer, and to her great surprise, it stays, bowing its head slightly to the muddied earth. Lily reaches out a hand and edges it gingerly towards the ruff below the creature’s neck. It edges away for a moment, but then seems to lean into her touch. She’s pretty sure deer don’t usually act like this. She runs her hand along the length of its back, and the dark fur is smooth under her fingers. The stag turns and steps towards her further, actually nuzzling its head into the crook of her elbow. She’s never seen deer in the forest before, but then again, she’s never really explored it before. She’d heard it was only horrible, terrifying creatures that lived in there. The stag huffs warm breath onto her hand as she strokes its face, and it looks up at her with dark and expressive eyes. 

She stays there a while admiring the creature, knowing she won’t ever have a chance like this again. She savors its beauty, and it is with reluctance that she returns to the castle when breakfast starts, knowing that she’ll be cutting it short to get to class this morning. The stag stays and watches her as she goes, and she sees it slink back into the trees only as she opens the great oak front doors and steps inside. 

…

“James isn’t here either,” Peter sighs, as he, Sirius, and Remus enter the great hall for breakfast. The three of them weren’t exactly surprised when James wasn’t in the dormitory that morning, he was the earliest riser out of the lot, but he never missed breakfast. 

“He’s probably on the Quidditch pitch,” Remus offers. 

“Should we go and get him?” Peter asks, “it’s nearly time for class.”

“Nah, he won’t care, I say we leave him to it.” Sirius dismisses him with a wave of his hand. “Hey Evans!” He yells, despite Lily’s relatively close proximity. She starts and almost drops her mug of tea all over her breakfast. “You seen James?” 

“No,” she says shrewdly, “why would I have seen him? He’s probably up to no good wherever he is.” 

“Alright, calm down there Evans,” he smirks and gives a mock salute. Lily rolls her eyes. 

…

James is late to class. He struts into charms with a piece of toast in his mouth and his hair looking messier than ever. Lily thinks he looks to be in an even better mood than usual. Professor Flitwick glares at him as he loudly pulls out a chair and swings into it, grinning despite his toast. It is with a tired expression that Flitwick docks five points from Gryffindor for his lack of punctuality. 

Lily once again finds herself huffing and rolling her eyes due to the immature behavior of said James Potter and gets promptly on with her work. 

“Where were you?” She hears Sirius hiss as he leans over to James. 

James shrugs, and with a mouthful of toast says, “just out for a walk.” Charming. 

…

When James enters the common room that evening, his friends can barely contain their laughter. Sirius, Remus, and Peter sit on a couch by the fire, books strewn about them. The books, he knows, are there for show more than anything else; none of them are actually studying. The three of them stare at James as he approaches, mirth alight in their eyes. James puffs out his chest and straightens up, ready to face whatever it is he’s done this time.

“Been out for a walk, Prongs?” Sirius grins.

“Only,” Remus adds, “we heard that Lily had seen the most beautiful stag out by the forest this morning.” A smirk tugs at Remus’ lips as Peter snorts with laughter. 

“Oh Marlene,” Peter puts on a high-pitched voice that James supposes is meant to imitate Lily, “it was the most majestic creature I’ve ever seen.” Sirius cackles, and James feels blush rush into his cheeks. 

“Shut up,” he grunts, though he can’t help smiling along. He would never hear the end of this. 

“She said it didn’t run off either,” Remus says, smile quivering as he tried to hold back laughter. Sirius and Peter did him no such favors. 

“Yeah,” Sirius rasps, composing himself. “It just stood there and let me stroke it” he flicks his hair over his shoulder and flutters his eyelashes. His impression of Lily is actually scarily good. James hits him with his bag as he sits down next to them. James remains uncharacteristically quiet as he fishes out his transfiguration textbook and sticks his nose in it. 

“You’re hopeless, you know that, right?” Remus shakes his head, a hand supportively clapped on James’ shoulder. 

“Does it give you a deer hard-on when she strokes you?” Sirius teases. He arches his back out and throws his head back, shivering, “Oh, Lily,” he gasps, “ohhhhhhh!”

“Cut it out!” James snaps, whacking him on the shoulder. Sirius cackles again and claps Peter on the back, who starts laughing again too.

“Oi,” Sirius laughs, still grinning annoyingly. “You’re just mad because it’s the only way she’ll ever touch you.” James feels himself go redder still.

“And he’s right too,” Remus says solemnly. He locks eyes with Peter and both of them nod knowingly to each other. 

“Oh, you shove off too Moony,” James mutters, though he can’t quite wipe a grin off his face. He casts a furtive glance over at the other side of the common room where Lily is sat with Marlene and Mary. Thankfully they haven’t heard what the boys are talking about, to them they’re just being loud and obnoxious as usual. He stares a little too long and Lily looks his way. They lock eyes for a moment before her neutral expression devolves into a scowl and she tosses her hair towards him in her haste to look away. He sighs and looks back at his three friends who eye him with a mixture of pity and ill-disguised laughter. 

“Hopeless,” Remus mutters again, shaking his head.


End file.
